August 30, 2021
The Internal Revenue Service received a record number of reports about Economic Impact Payment scams in June and July 2021.
"Even though taxpayers have received multiple rounds of Economic Impact Payments, we saw phishing scams surge this summer," said Jim Lee, Chief of IRS Criminal Investigation. "The number of reported scam attempts reached levels we haven't seen in more than a decade. More than ever, it is important for taxpayers to continue to protect their personal information and not fall victim to these scams."
Phishing scams try to mimic legitimate IRS communications. Their goal is to convince people to enter personal information or submit a payment. The scammers then take that information and exploit it.
Recent scam reports include:
Text messages telling people they are eligible for a "stimulus payment" and to click on a link and complete the necessary information in order to claim it.
Phishing emails claiming the IRS has calculated your "fiscal activity" and that you're eligible for an Economic Impact payment in a specific amount.
Although scammers are always changing their tactics, you can help protect yourself. The best way to avoid falling victim to a scam is knowing how the IRS communicates: They do not send unsolicited texts or emails; threaten people with jail or lawsuits; or demand tax payments on gift cards or via cryptocurrency. Also, watch for grammatical, capitalization and spelling errors in emails and texts, as they are fraud indicators, and use caution when clicking shortened URLs, because they can lead to fraudulent web pages.
If you receive unsolicited emails or social media messages attempting to gather information that appear to be from the IRS or organizations closely linked to them, forward the messages to phishing@irs.gov. Don't engage scammers online or on the phone.
Report fraud or theft of your Economic Impact Payments to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) online at TIPS.TIGTA.GOV.
If you e-file your return and get a message saying that a dependent on your return has been claimed on another return or their own, or if you receive an IRS Notice CP87A, you’ll need to find out why someone else claimed your dependent. See the IRS' page What to Do When Someone Fraudulently Claims Your Dependent.
If you suspect that you're a victim of identity theft because of a scam, the IRS' Taxpayer Guide to Identity Theft page tells you what steps to take.
The Coronavirus Tax Relief page has official IRS information about COVID-19 and Economic Impact Payment scams.